The Union Budget of India for 2021-2022 was presented by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2021, as her second budget. Lauding the budget presented by the Finance Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah termed the second budget of Narendra Modi-led government’s second term as a guide to “self-reliant India”.
In an editorial piece in Hindi daily Jagran, the HM said that though bringing a customary budget amidst the pandemic was a major challenge, still, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented an all-inclusive budget under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi.
He wrote that before one evaluates the budget, the basic spirit of the union budget should be understood in two points. Firstly, despite stalled economic activity due to months of lockdown, it presents a picture of a strong India. Secondly, the budget shows the determination of the country which aspires to be self-reliant. The country has realized that any disaster can be turned into an opportunity if its leaders are far-sighted and determined.
Alongside ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas’, the budget gives priority to poor, farmers and women
The Modi government has carried forward public welfare work without imposing any additional taxes on the citizens. The budget is a tutorial on economic policy-making and structural reforms and a resounding exemplification of Modi’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) plan.
HM Amit Shah wrote that this year’s budget lays emphasis on strengthening agricultural infrastructure and doubling the income of farmers. The budget manifests that the government is ensuring fixing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) at one and half times more than what the produce would cost the farmers. This showed the commitment of the Modi government towards the farmers of the country.
Modi government working in the interest of farmers
HM Amit Shah said the Prime Minister has been devoted to the welfare of farmers since day one and numerous efforts have been made to double their income.
The increase in procurement of wheat and pulses at MSP in the last year and procurement of paddy at MSP which has been doubled this year, benefiting 1.5 crore farmers of the country.
He furthered that earlier those farmers who had to face police atrocities while procuring urea are today benefitting for the central govt’s schem- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN, under which benefits are directly transfered to the farmer’s bank accounts.
The government has made a provision of Rs 16.5 lakh crore in this year’s budget to provide easy loan to the farmers of the country. Also, Rs 10 thousand crores have been allocated for micro-irrigation projects. Efforts have been made to increase the rural infrastructure fund from Rs 30 to 40 thousand crores.
Moreover, in an effort to connect Indian farmers to the global market by which they can double their incomes, the central govt has promoted a pan-India electronic trading portal called eNAM, which facilitates a single-window solution to the farmers and stakeholders to disseminate the information about seeds, farm machinery, fertilisers, etc.
Many developed nations couldn’t handle the pandemic, as well as India under the leadership of PM Modi, did
India, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, managed the coronavirus crisis in a far better manner compared to the other developing and some developed countries. During the pandemic, India has made a quantum leap in the health sector and the health infrastructure.
There has been a historic increase of 137 per cent, that is Rs 2.38 lakh crore in the health budget. Moreover, with an allocation of Rs 64,180 crore in the budget, services under the ‘Prime Minister Atma Nirbhar Swasthya Bharat Yojana’ would now reach almost 75 thousand villages.
In the budget Rs. 35,000 crore has been earmarked for the coronavirus vaccines. India is a leader in manufacturing and the production of COVID-19 vaccines. With the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), Modi ji is honouring India on the global platform by delivering vaccines to all the countries around the globe.
2020-21 Budget has something to offer everyone, wrote Amit Shah
In addition, the budget has something for everyone and it will continue to facilitate PM Modi’s resolve to provide housing, toilets, LPG, electricity, clean water and food security to every citizen of India.
After delivering free cooking gas to eight crore women under Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana, Govt aims to reach an additional one crore beneficiaries under the scheme. Moreover, Modi government’s decision to exempt senior citizens above the age of 75 years in the budget from filing tax returns is a symbol of the government’s humanitarian outlook.
Moreover the budget proposes to create five new ports and integrate the data of migrant laborers to benefit fisheries industry, so that they can avail one country-one ration card. In the interest of the middle class and to counter Coronavirus impact, RBI moratorium on home loan EMI has been extended by another year.
Modi government saddened by the negative politics of the opposition, opines HM Amit Shah
Over the past seven decades, a number of governments have come, but never before has a government been so committed to the welfare of the common people. Modi government has brought economic reforms enhancing India’s credibility on the global platform. The number of reforms introduced in the last six years has easily outnumbered reforms taken up by previous governments. India’s swift and continuous rise in global ranking of ‘ease of doing business’ bears testimony to this.
Today the country is ready to become an economic superpower. But even at this point, opposition party leaders do not refrain from spreading misinformation or doing petty politics. “This saddens me”, wrote the HM in the editorial piece for the Hindi Daily newspaper Jagran.
All the works that I mentioned above are going to bring about a better change in the life of the common man. Is all this possible when the country is financially weak? asked Shah.
Emphasis on economic reforms is the hallmark of the Modi government
The Home Minister furthered that post the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy is in a reset mode and this budget will help our country to use this opportunity to emerge stronger in the global scenario and make it the fastest growing economy in the world.
He said India cannot become a leading country without strong infrastructure and Modi government has done comendable work in the field, taking concrete steps for the development of infrastructure. A sum of Rs 1.18 lakh crore has been allocated in the budget to the Ministry of Transport and Highways which will give new impetus to the expansion of highways. A special provision for road construction projects in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam has also been earmarked, he said.
Special attention given to Railways
Special attention has been given to the development of railway and for this purpose, a record sum of 1.10 lakh crore has been allocated to the sector.
Moreover, capital expenditure has been increased by 34.5 percent to accelerate economic growth. It has increased to Rs 5.54 lakh crore from 4.21 lakh crore last year, said Shah.
Budget 2021-22 encourages start-ups, says Amit Shah
The government has encouraged start-ups by giving tax relief until March 31, 2022. Moreover, several steps have also been taken to strengthen the economy and the small and medium scale industries, employing millions of people.
Further, in its steps taken to boost economy, the govt has been facilitating the ease to obtain credit by improving the banking system. Also steps for settlement of economic disputes have been improvised. The result of these steps is that the foreign investments in India have increased rapidly. It has reached $ 24.6 billion in the last quarter, informed the Home Minister.
Budget of a self-reliant India
Terming the Budget 2021-22 a guide to “self-reliant India”, HM Amit Shah opined that the current union budget would pave the way for a self-reliant India. This budget is going to inspire every citizen belonging to whichever region or community in the country to take a leap forward, added Amit Shah.